Hell hath no fury
by Igerree
Summary: When the IceKing kidnaps FlamePrincess the FlameKing responds by sending a squad of his best men headed by the Decirion, the current best fighter in the Fire Realm, to save her.Sparking a chain of event leading to his demise and FP's psuedo-imprisonment.
1. Chapter 1

Wind, snow, and ice: these were the things that occupied almost all of Tristan's vision this last week, save for the occasional glance backward to see how many men he had lost during their trek through the realm of the Ice King, the relentless snowstorm that had plagued their entire journey covering their tracks almost as soon as they made them. Tristan was a Decirion in the Flame King's army, chosen to lead an elite squad into the heart of the Ice realm to rescue the Flame princess. Their mission required stealth, and would not permit them Firewolf mounts. The cloaks they wore to hide their light only slowed them down further and did not prevent the wind from finding cracks to blow through, bring with it snow and ice shards alike. Of his initial nine men only four remained: three they had lost to the cold, one died when they were beset by Snow Golems, and the last was injured beyond recovery during the fight. Tristan had ended his pain himself, it was his first mission as a commander and he could afford no delay.

The sound of ice cracking and the Ice King's deranged laughter brought him to the present-his men already drawing their weapons- as a frozen mass began to rise in front of them. Suddenly the snowstorm lifted and Tristan found himself mere feet away from a winding path, with a dangerous precipice on either side. A monstrous Ice lizard with a neck and head like a snake climbed up the side, snapping it's jaws threateningly towards his squad. The Ice King, standing near a dome at the top, crackled once more

"How do you like my new pet?" he asked in a peevish tone "I made it especially for you".

"You will release our princess or face the wrath of the Fire Realm" Tristan shouted defiantly, none of his squad backed away from the beast in front of them, they trained their whole lives for moments like this.

"She's my princess now!" The Ice King barked "and I think she rather likes it here" he added, gesturing to a dome of ice where the Flame Princess pounded furiously against the walls, the dome itself never giving despite the intense heat within.

"Flameguard!" He shouted once more, his men forming up behind him in a defensive stance. The ice beast began to drag itself towards them.

"Your cur will not stop us!" Shouted Amadan -the largest of his men- as he rushed towards the beast, narrowly dodging it's jaws before burying his axe in it's neck.

"Amadan no!" Tristan called, his every instinct shouting this was not what it appeared to be.

The beast shrieked and flailed feebly, but Amadan easily sidestepped the swipe, taking his axe with him, then hacked once more at the beast's neck; severing it clean. The head shattered as it fell, and the body slid down the side of the cliff. Amadan raised his axe triumphantly towards the Ice king and gave a battle cry, The Ice King merely fired an ice bolt at his feet, holding him in place.

"Ice will not hold me back!" Amadan shouted, his voice dying as a rumbling was heard once more down the cliff.

"No" the Ice King answered as the rumbling got louder "but that will" he grinned looking behind Amadan. The beast re-emerged from the side of the cliff, now with 2 heads instead of one. It was fear, not ice, that stopped Amadan from turning around. The beast gripped both sides of his body with each head, his screaming turning into a highpitched shriek as the beast tore him in two, a sound that cut into Tristan's very soul.


	2. Chapter 2

What little remained of Amadan hit the ground with a lifeless _thud_, it all happened so fast there was nothing Tristan or his remaining men could do. As the beast turned its attention to him, Tristan realized this foe would not be brought down by conventional means.

"and then there were four" the Ice king commented gleefully. Flame princess was beginning to tire, the rhythm of her fists slowing.

"We did not survive snow golems and blizzards to die here!" Tristan yelled back, hoping to reassure his men.

"If we cut off the head of this abomination, two more grow in its place.." Cliste, ever observant, noted.

"Then we must strike at it's heart, and hope it doesn't grow two of those as well" Tristan said, taking a small comfort in his tone not betraying the fear festering in his chest. He needed both himself and his men to be the best they could.

"Tapa, Mear" he needed his quickest men for this.

"yes, Decirion?" they responded together.

"I need you two to distract the heads while Cliste and I go for the heart"

"Easy enough" answered Mear "if only that oaf Amadan was still around to see how it's done -ow"

Tapa smacked him over the head

"do not speak ill of the dead"

"I'm not spea-"

"Now!" Tristan called, surging forward

"For the Fire King!" they yelled in unison, charging forward. Tapa and Mear split off to the left, while Tristan and Cliste slowed their pace and veered right. Tapa took out his whip and began to howl to get the beast's attention, while Mear conjured a bow of flame and began to fire arrows. The beast diverted both heads to the pair.

"looks like it's working" said Cliste "What now?"

"We strike at it's heart" answered Tristan "We get in close, you focus a blast of fire at it's chest, soften it up, I'll follow through with my sword" _and pray it works_ Tristan thought to himself. Mear and Tapa had managed to lure the beast off of the narrow walkway and out towards the open field, staying just out of the beast's range. Nearby, Flameprincess slumped over, clearly exhausted.

"Hah!, watch this!" Yelled Tapa. He stood just within it's range, waiting for it to snap at him once more, stepping aside just in the nick of time, wrapping his whip around it's maw he leaped onto it's head and tightened his whip before it could recoil, holding both ends like reigns.

"Let me get the other head and we wont need Flamewolves to get home!" called Mear. Tristan shook his head, Tapa and Mear, the only men he knew with the minds of boys.

The beast, however, was not simpleminded. Knowing Tapa was on one head it positioned itself so that the other head could strike at him.

"Oh no you don't!" Tapa yelled when he realized what it was doing, as it recoiled the second head to strike he loosened his whip just enough to bring it as himself round to the side of it's head. As the second had came snapping down instead of hitting Tapa it severed it's own head, The severed head shattered into a million ice shards raining down. They all watched in horror as the headless neck began to split into two, and a head formed at each end. With an expression that almost looked like glee the three heads stared down at Tapa, who had still not gotten up, recoiling to strike.

"Well looks like you failed" quiped the Ice King.

"No!" yelled Cliste as his shot a jet of fire from his palms towards the heads and they came down upon Tapa. The flame completely melted the first head, and seared the second; the force knocking it and the third away from their intended victim. Mear quickly ran over pulling Tapa up and away form the beast as it was momentarily paralyzed while it spawned a fourth head. Tristan turned around and looked at Cliste with disbelief

"I..I couldn't let it.." he tried to explain. Looking back at the beast Tristan realized the it's weakness.

"Thank you, Cliste" he said quitely "No Ice King, we haven't!" he yelled back, charging once more towards the beast.

"Cliste, Mear, Tapa, just shoot it!" he hastily yelled, conjuring a sword in one hand, and balled flames up in the other. Three heads were busy snapping at arrows, only the fourth noticed his approach.

_Good _he though _one is all I need._ Waiting for the head to snap at him he sidestepped and leaped onto it's back. He twirled on the spot and brought his sword down upon the beast's neck, hacking it clean with a second strike. He jumped down as the entire body recoiled, working to produce a fifth head, but Tristan had no time to gawk, he rolled forward as he hit the ground. Bringing the ball of flame into the beast's chest, knocking off chunks of ice methodically as he alternated between sword and flaming ball.

"Now while it's distracted, hack more head's off keep it stunned!" an order he did not even have to yell; his men, having seen what he did, had already begun to hack at the beast.

"Wait, what are you doing? Stop that!" The Ice King soon realized what was happening.

His efforts had rendered a gaping hole in the beast's chest, exposing a crystalline heart.

"I said STOP!" he began to gather frozen energy into his hands, Tristan raised his sword to deal the final blow, bringing it down he heard a childish screech.

"ICE KIIIING!" A blue and white blur raced past them, followed shortly by a brown one, unnoticed by the flameguard who were watching the Hydra writhe and disintegrate.

"Who did you kidnap this time?" The blurs simultaneously hit the Ice King in the gut and punched his crown off, revealing themselves to be a young boy and his dog. As the crown fell the Dome surrounding Flame Princess melted.

"Well, I, you see, uhh"

Tristan and his men left the husk of the beast where it lay walked over to the stuttering Ice King.

"You're a long way from home, boy" he said in a condescending tone.

"I'm not a boy!" he yelled hastily, everyone present stopped and looked over at him

"uhhh, no I am a boy, but not a-"

"we can take it from here, thank you" Tristan cut him off. Angrily the boy looked down, his dog extended his leg, extended his legs? His **magic** dog whispered something into his ear, becoming large enough for him to ride and taking off into the sunset.

"well that was weird" remarked Mear.

"Never mind what it was" Tristan said, walking over to Flame Princess' unconcious form.

"Someone deal with the Ice King"

"Gladly" Tapa said, drawing his whip.

"Fine! Take her!" Ice king yelled, leaping off the precipice he flew up towards his cave.

"Tapa, set off the flare, I want our transport here by nightfall, we'll set up camp at the base."

"Consider it done" Tapa said obediently trudged off.

"We'll get you home, Princess, where you belong."


	3. Chapter 3

**Now while I made no formal pledge to update often, I had always intended to. That being said Mass Effect 3 put a complete halt on all creative processes. So without further adieu here's the third chapter.**

**Flame Princess**

Flame Princess woke up with a start, still wary from her imprisonment by the Ice King. Looking around she was in a dimly lit tent, the light from other Flame people outside, and suddenly the events of the past 24 hours came back: her screaming and hurling herself at the prison the ice king had constructed, his laughter at her futile attempts to break free, the dark loneliness as the storm started bringing with it the night. She looked over herself, the cuts and bruises her attempts at escaped had wrought were tended to and bandaged. "_Tristan"_ she reflected "_he did come for me_". She stumbled out of the tent to look around. It was night, Two Flameguards -clearly twins- were sprawled on a log, one half on the ground, presumably when the other decided he deserved more space on the log; A third lay asleep in a sitting position by the dying campfire, she didn't recognize any of them.

"Tristan!" she called out. In response a shadow leaped down from a nearby tree.

"Did you sleep well, Princess?" a vaguely familiar, yet older, Tristan asked. Even now covered in a cloak she could recognize her old friend.

"I slept well enough for a blanket on the ground" she said, covering her surprise with indignity.

"Half my squad sleep six feet below the earth to get you to that blanket on the ground" he replied solemnly, removing his hood.

"And- and you have my thanks" she apologized. "How long till we're back to civilization?" she asked while taking in her unfamiliar surroundings.

"A week to get to Calbet, and maybe another ten days to get to the capital." he said while stoking life into the campfire.

"Calbet, ten days..." she mused for a short while, then she got up, walked over, and slapped Tristan hard across the cheek.

"Ten days travel has been the only thing keeping you from the palace for eight years?" she yelled, taking no noticed of the soldiers around her leaping to their feet, weapons drawn, looking around expectantly. Tristan had no reply, simply got up and walked out of the camp.

"Go back to sleep" he said to no one in particular. Suddenly aware of the inquisitive looks being directed at her, she apologized and rushed back into her tent. Sleep found her quicker than expected.

**Tristan**

Tristan stalked back off into the forest, the sound of Tapa and Mear's fighting following him as he climbed back up a tree.

"No, this is my side of the log, get off"

"you moved the rock, I had my head there!"

With a sigh, Tristan hurled his gauntlet onto the ground in front of them.

"Ahh, I accept your challenge, Decirion!" they said in unison "What is the nature?"

"It's a contest to see who can shut up and go to sleep the fasted"

The anticipation on their faces dropped and they quietly curled up under their blankets.

"Heh" Tristan chuckled, he would never forget the day they realized that was not an actual challenge.

Taking out a small wax statue he had been working on this past week, using the tip of his finger to add detail, a small Phoenix was beginning to take shape. He started brooding over his choice to come rescue Flame Princess, and when he should tell her about Ysolt.

"Why did I come here?" he said out loud

"Because we were the most northern outpost, and you're the Decirion" Cliste responded, climbing up the tree beside him. "could almost call is fate"

"I don't believe in fate" Tristan replied absentmindedly, still contemplating his situation.

"Hah! You of all people have cause to believe in fate"

The look Tristan shot him back would have withered crops.

"When you saved Tapa yesterday, you could have very well condemned us all to death. Why?" he instead asked

"I did it for the same reason you came out here for the Princess" He said slowly "We all strive to protect those we care about."

"Get some sleep, we'll travel south on foot, when we run into our caravan, there'll be hell to pay for being late."

After he was sure Cliste was sleeping, Tristan pulled out a small gold pin, on it was the Phoenix; the symbol of his house -or at least it was- until fourteen years ago. The memory was old, but the wound still felt fresh.

"Father, where are you going?" a small boy yelled, running out the door

"To rejoin the army, War has broken out." His father answered, without looking away from what he was doing

"Why do you have to leave now? My training is supposed to begin"

"One day, Tristan" he said turning to him "you'll understand why I am doing this. You will see me again"

All he could do was watch as his father rode away, it was a lie, it was the last time he ever saw him.

Following his father's death in the war his estate fell into disarray. Entitlements for widows, even those of the Flame King's most esteemed generals, were not generous. First the Groundskeepers were let go, and the gardens became overgrown with weeds and unwanted pests. As time went by his mother let the guards go, which was when the first break-in occurred. A Vagrant wandering through a nearby woods had seen an unprotected manor, decided it was a good idea to break in and do some looting. Tristan was woken up by the sound of his drawer being raided, and seeing the keepsakes his father left him disappearing into a rucksack.

"Get...Get out!" He yelled, fumbling, searching under his bed

"hey now, Calm down now, what's a little kid like you gonna do if I don't" The Vagrant said coolly, reaching into his belt for a knife.

"I said Get Out!" Tristan yelled once more, confident now that he'd drawn his father's sword.

"I said Calm Down" The Vagrant got over his initial surprise and knocked the sword out of his hand, grabbing him by the shoulder and holding the knife to his neck. Tristan felt rage boiling inside him.

"and I said" The rage was beginning to take shape in his hand, a fireball forming

"GET! OUT!" He released the pressure, an explosion of fire and emotion hurling out of his hands, and bursting through the Vagrant's chest, the ceiling, and into the night sky. A servant who had heard the commotion was standing in the doorway, jaw gaped almost as wide as the hole in the roof.

When word had reached the King that Tristan was a sorcerer, he offered to take him in as a Ward.

"Mother, I don't want to live in the palace, I want to stay here!" He protested, as his Mother lifted him onto a Flamewolf, strapping his bag on his back.

"My love, one does not say 'No' to a king" Even now, with her husband dead, and her only child leaving, her pride wouldn't let him see her cry.

"We must leave now" A flameguard, his escort, ordered.

"When will I see you again?" Tristan called back to his mother

"When you're old enough, I'll be waiting for you in Calbet." She called back.

She lied too, a week later, the king sat him down, and told him his mother had killed herself.


End file.
